The present application is related to heat exchangers for use in vehicles, such as recreational vehicles, for example. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to the structure of a tubular heat exchanger for a furnace in a recreational vehicle.
Recreational vehicles, also known as RVs, provide mobile living quarters and require functionality similar to that found in the typical home. For example, RVs that are equipped to be used in areas with lower temperatures often include an integral furnace that is operable to recirculate air within the RV to control the temperature within the RV. In some cases, the furnace functions as a standalone unit with a fan that draws air in from the area surrounding the furnace, passes it over a heat exchanger, and expel the air into the general vicinity of the furnace. In other cases, the furnace may be equipped with ports that connect to ducting that transfers the air from an inlet that is distal from the furnace and/or directs heated air to outlets that are distal to the furnace.
As with any heat exchanger, a furnace for an RV is designed to maximize heat transfer so that energy/heat that is produced by a burner is efficiently transferred to the air flowing over the heat exchanger with minimal heat loss. A particular challenge in RVs is to construct a heat exchanger that provides an efficient transfer, in a minimal space. Space in an RV is at a premium. Any space taken by an appliance, such as a furnace, reduces the amount of space available to the occupants of the RV. In addition, it is important to control the cost of production to minimize the expense of a heat exchanger, such as the type of heat exchanger used in a furnace for an RV.
For example, in some cases, the heat exchanger is a multi-piece assembly that must be welded in several locations. The labor for handling the parts and performing welds makes the parts expensive. In addition, the tooling for all of the parts requires significant investment.